Air China Operating Bases
 

Can anyone explain how thes operating bases work ?
I think L.A. for the B777 and quite a selection for the A330.

Are they locations from where you can start and finish your monthly duty block from ?

Geez have you seen the pollution figures coming out of PEK this week ? Anyone based there got a comment ?

What Basings
 

If your La based your expected to cover new york too at your own expense .330 bases closing in europe or going 777 , and no you won t get a conversion course .

"Can anyone explain how these operating bases work ?"

Quite simply, they only work short term. They start a route with the 330, six months later the 777 fleet or Southwest division decide they'd like to fly there & your base is shut. Note that these decisions are not commercial but political and rarely make sense to westerners. And you'll find out through your own sources, not from your employer. You can now fly from another base at your expense.

Their track record on A330 base closures is impressive - Munich, Frankfurt, London, half of Sydney, attempted Vancouver, attempted Melbourne, Milan. Each base closure results in an oversupply at an adjacent base with a resultant decline in scheduling for all (read as an effective Beijing base).

So you are saying that in a short-medium term all the bases for the A330 will be shut?

I'm thinking in applying for it, and CAE offered me Madrid, Rome, Düsseldorf, Sydney, Melbourne and Vancouver. The only "problem" is that this will happen about 2 years from starting the contract.

I would say worry about the base later. If you have 2 years to go until base is a factor then the immediate problem will be passing the medicals on a regular basis and passing the training. Recently this has all become much more difficult.

I have never worked in a system before where jeopardy has been so high after being selected. I have worked in the US, Europe and the middle east.

Firstly, what CAE offer and CA have available right now are two different things. Secondly, any base that is currently on offer is highly likely to no longer be an A330 route/ base in two years.

As KFP has said, I'd be more concerned about the 4 jeopardy medical checks you'll need to pass between now & then. How will you repay the training bond should you have a medical issue in the interim?